Introduction to Italian/Lesson 9

The Second Conjugation (-ere)

Infinitive verbs in the second conjugation all end in -ere. Most of them conjugate regularly (according to the chart below) but there are more irregularities than the first conjugation.

Mont Bianco (Mount White).

St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

	Suffix
Infinitive	-ere
First Person	-o
Second Person	-i
Third Person	-e
First Person (Plural)	-iamo
Second Person (Plural)	-ete
Third Person (Plural)	-ono

Here is an example of how verbs ending in -ere conjugate.

	Complete Word
Infinitive	leggere
First Person	leggo
Second Person	leggi
Third Person	legge
First Person (Plural)	leggiamo
Second Person (Plural)	leggete
Third Person (Plural)	leggono

Some Basic Verbs in the Second Conjugation

Here are a few basic -ere verbs to help build your vocabulary.
chiedere – to ask (for)
chiudere – to close
conoscere – to know
credere – to believe
decidere di (+ infinitive verb) – to decide to do something (io decido di prendere un gelato – I’m deciding to get an ice cream)
discutere (di) – to discuss (noi discutiamo di politica – we are discussing politics)
leggere – to read
mettere – to put, to place
perdere – to lose
prendere – to take, to have (as in have some food or have a drink), to get
ricevere – to receive
rispondere – to answer
scrivere – to write
spendere – to spend (money)
vedere – to see
vendere – to sell

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